News

Redhead Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Filmore County underwent a restoration in 2025 that expanded upon work completed in 2017 and improved the wetland habitat. In early 2025, RWBJV staff and partners began to work on a project to fill an irrigation re-use pit adjacent to Redhead WMA. Many farms in the RWB were gravity […]

The RWBJV routinely works with partners to streamline conservation delivery in Nebraska. Through customized programs and decision-support tools, the RWBJV partnership collaborates to overcome implementation bottlenecks and maximize on-the-ground conservation investments. The latest tools is a new online mapping portal to help RWBJV partners deliver $18.8 million in NRCS funding through a recently awarded Regional […]

Intentionally and surgically burning grassland or woody vegetation – whether in the far reaches of the Sandhills or the urban ‘habitats’ inside the city of Lincoln – is a tool of great benefit. But only if undertaken carefully and safely after intense planning. That message was drilled into those who sat in for Wednesday’s all-day, […]

In the Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex, 90% of the wetland footprints have been drained, with only 20% of wetland acres continuing to exhibit some level of wetland function (pond water grow hydrophytic vegetation). Despite this staggering loss of habitat an estimated 8.6 million waterfowl continue to rely on this region during spring migration. With the […]

The tour allowed the RWBJV partners to showcase successful collaborative conservation projects. Tour stops included a mix of projects on public and private lands. At each stop, partners were able to highlight the wildlife habitat, water quality and water quantity benefits that have been achieved through investments on public lands and through voluntary incentive-based conservation programs […]

The Conservation Reserve Program is a federally funded voluntary incentive-based program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. Conservation Reserve Program provides a contract to agricultural producers to re-establish grasslands on cropland with environmentally sensitive acres. This grassland cover helps control soil erosion, improve water quality and provide wildlife habitat. In […]

Nebraska’s grasslands are a national treasure. These grasslands significantly contribute to the state’s agricultural economy and support over 20 million grassland nesting birds and other resident wildlife species. Priority species include Greater Prairie Chicken, Sharp-tailed Grouse and Western Meadowlark. Managing habitats for these species is critical as many grassland obligates have experienced significant population declines […]

Nebraska’s Sandhills are a 19,300 square mile grass-stabilized, sand dune formation. Despite the semi-arid climate this landscape contains an abundance of lakes, wetlands, wet meadows, and spring-fed streams scattered throughout 12 million acres of grasslands. Grassland conversion to cropland is limited because of the sandy soil. However, invasion by Eastern Red Cedar continues at an […]

The western portion of Tri-Basin Natural Resources District (Tri-Basin NRD) contains the eastern of the Loess Canyons landscape. This geography is dominated by loess soils with rolling to steep topography. As a result of the topography there are large contiguous tracts of grasslands in this portion of Tri-Basin NRD. These Loess Canyon grasslands are a […]